Real Look At next season | Page 4 | The Boneyard

Real Look At next season

In two consecutive years UCONN had an undefeated regular seasons and lost in OT at FF all while playing with a center that was 5'11" (Gabby) and a PF that was 6'1" (Napheesa)-BOTH AAs!
There was no reason to believe that Gabby and Napheesa could not get the job of guarding the post done in those FF games. Both had gotten the job done against much better players previously: Brown of Baylor, Wilson of South Carolina, and a healthy Turner of ND-ALSO all AAs.
Some criticism of Geno and the staff is fair here in this sense. On each occasions Geno had 6'5" ( Natalie ) or 6'6" (Azura) available to him to provide some help in offsetting the high disadvantage of Gabby and Napheesa.
Both Butler and Stevens had played in the post effectively against quality opponents: Natalie against Brown of Baylor & Azura (mostly offensively) against Shepard of ND. This was a big moment and it is moments like these why these players came to UCONN. The UCONN staff had 3 full years with Natalie and 2 full years with Azura to get them ready for a moment like this and it didn't happen. Natalie Butler played 6 minutes against Mississippi State and Azura played 28 minutes against ND both games lasted 45 minutes.
 
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Buzzyboy said:
That Mississippi team was pretty darn good and we weren't quite as good as an undefeated team would have you believe we were. We didn't play our A game and they played very well and it happened. The actual point spread probably should have been more like an 8 point or ten point pick, not the 22 point spread that you suggested it was.
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The purpose of a pointspread is not to predict the outcome of a game but to entice an equal amount of wagering on both teams. A pointspread never can be validated or invalidated by the final score. Only the betting can do that and, since the line drew a near equal amount of interest on each team, it was a good line.
 
Golden Husky said:
The purpose of a pointspread is not to predict the outcome of a game but to entice an equal amount of wagering on both teams. A pointspread never can be validated or invalidated by the final score. Only the betting can do that and, since the line drew a near equal amount of interest on each team, it was a good line.
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The point spread also moves based on the betting. Early money on UConn probably pushed the spread up until it leveled off at 22.
 
You have to look at the views of both the pessimists and the optimists, and then figure that the reality is somewhere in between.
 
oldude said:
The point spread also moves based on the betting. Early money on UConn probably pushed the spread up until it leveled off at 22.
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That was pretty much the case, Oldude. A Nevada bookmaker told me he opened UConn-Mississippi State at 18 1/2 and the line was bet up to 24 before some sharps bought it back to 21 1/2, where it closed. The bookie said he won about 6 1/2% on the game and if UConn had covered the house would have cleared about 2%. Bet takers are queasy when it comes to booking sports they don't know so the largest bet this guy took--and he's at a major Strip emporium--was $500.
 
I'm predicting two losses and a conference championship for the 2018-19 team going into the NCAA tournament. And that's a good thing... the last thing I'd want is for the team is to again head into the tournament undefeated on the season.

For me, by far the biggest downside for next year's team is no Azura. Yes, she could be inconsistent last year, and probably was a net liability in the second half of the national semi-final. But she would have been an absolute monster next year had she stayed, and with the development of others like Megan, on balance the roster would remained as good as it was.

Last year, Notre Dame proved that a motley crew can win a national championship in any given year if its players are properly motivated and well coached. And UConn proved that the most talented team in the nation can fall short. That gives us more than a puncher's chance next season, and makes me a believer that number 12 could happen.
 
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BostonCanuck said:
a conference championship for the 2018-19 team
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Whoa, that's a bold prediction there! UConn might lose to an AAC opponent eventually, but it probably isn't going to happen this coming season.
 
CocoHusky said:
In two consecutive years UCONN had an undefeated regular seasons and lost in OT at FF all while playing with a center that was 5'11" (Gabby) and a PF that was 6'1" (Napheesa)-BOTH AAs!
There was no reason to believe that Gabby and Napheesa could not get the job of guarding the post done in those FF games. Both had gotten the job done against much better players previously: Brown of Baylor, Wilson of South Carolina, and a healthy Turner of ND-ALSO all AAs.
Some criticism of Geno and the staff is fair here in this sense. On each occasions Geno had 6'5" ( Natalie ) or 6'6" (Azura) available to him to provide some help in offsetting the high disadvantage of Gabby and Napheesa.
Both Butler and Stevens had played in the post effectively against quality opponents: Natalie against Brown of Baylor & Azura (mostly offensively) against Shepard of ND. This was a big moment and it is moments like these why these players came to UCONN. The UCONN staff had 3 full years with Natalie and 2 full years with Azura to get them ready for a moment like this and it didn't happen. Natalie Butler played 6 minutes against Mississippi State and Azura played 28 minutes against ND both games lasted 45 minutes.
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Exactly. UConn does a good job physically conditioning their kids and giving them good offensive and defensive schemes to work with, but they're no better than most at skills development. That's why I questioned a few months ago how Stevens could have been at UConn for almost 2 full years and not at least developed a drop step, turnaround jumper, or a jump hook. Like Collier, the kids have to do it themselves in the off season because it ain't happening on campus between Oct. and March.
 
BostonCanuck said:
I'm predicting two losses and a conference championship for the 2018-19 team going into the NCAA tournament. And that's a good thing... the last thing I'd want is for the team is to again head into the tournament undefeated on the season.

For me, by far the biggest downside for next year's team is no Azura. Yes, she could be inconsistent last year, and probably was a net liability in the second half of the national semi-final. But she would have been an absolute monster next year had she stayed, and with the development of others like Megan, on balance the roster would remained as good as it was.

Last year, Notre Dame proved that a motley crew can win a national championship in any given year if its players are properly motivated and well coached. And UConn proved that the most talented team in the nation can fall short. That gives us more than a puncher's chance next season, and makes me a believer that number 12 could happen.
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I wouldn't exactly call that ND team a a motley crew............ Shepard was the ESPN #3 rated player out of high school, Ogunbawle #10 and Mabrey #24..........I'd say they were more shorthanded then anything else....
 
Looking at the out of conference schedule, ND and Baylor are potential loses. ND is good and the defending national champs. Baylor has the two bigs and we are at Baylor. I think both games will be very competitive. I don't see either being a blowout.
 
meyers7 said:
They do have lots of money.

Mars, Incorporated - Wikipedia
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If you're heading out to the UConn/Baylor game, you could always go see the Mars plant.

In the United States, the company has 20 manufacturing facilities in Hackettstown, New Jersey; Albany, Georgia; Burr Ridge, Illinois; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Chicago, Illinois; and Mattoon, Illinois; Cleveland, Tennessee; Columbia, South Carolina; Columbus, Ohio; Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania; Greenville, Mississippi; Greenville and Waco, Texas; Henderson and Reno, Nevada; Fort Smith, Arkansas; Joplin, Missouri; Miami, Oklahoma; and Galena, Kansas. Their newest facility is situated in Topeka, Kansas. Their Canadian facilities are located in Bolton and Newmarket, Ontari
 
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skilz said:
If you're heading out to the UConn/Baylor game, you could always go see the Mars plant.

In the United States, the company has 20 manufacturing facilities in Hackettstown, New Jersey; Albany, Georgia; Burr Ridge, Illinois; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Chicago, Illinois; and Mattoon, Illinois; Cleveland, Tennessee; Columbia, South Carolina; Columbus, Ohio; Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania; Greenville, Mississippi; Greenville and Waco, Texas; Henderson and Reno, Nevada; Fort Smith, Arkansas; Joplin, Missouri; Miami, Oklahoma; and Galena, Kansas. Their newest facility is situated in Topeka, Kansas. Their Canadian facilities are located in Bolton and Newmarket, Ontari
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I do like 3 Musketeers. :D
 
huskeynut said:
Looking at the out of conference schedule, ND and Baylor are potential loses. ND is good and the defending national champs. Baylor has the two bigs and we are at Baylor. I think both games will be very competitive. I don't see either being a blowout.
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A minor point: Sports that award an annual championship do not have a defending champion. Notre Dame is the 2018 champion and since no team can take that from the Fighting Irish, there's nothing to defend. How about we call ND the reigning national champion?
 
Snickers all day long!! Not a fan of coconut either. :)
 
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